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Twelth Night
Playwright - William Shakespeare
Director - Karen Crow
Set Designer - Richard Ison
Musical Director and Original Music - Rhona Finch
Costumes - West Yorkshire Playhouse
Company - Chapterhouse
Theate Company
Venues & Dates - Scottish dates
at end of this review other dates see the Company's
website
Runtime - 2hrs 40mins with interval of 20 mins - enough for quick picnic
Reviewer - Thelma Good seen in the lovely surroundings of Bowhill
House near Selkirk
Twelfth Night, some delights.
It's a tale of love, pride, lost relations and deceptions, containing
some very funny scenes and characters. Directed by Karen Crow with a eye
for sight jokes to help us over some of the verbal obscurities, and with
some vivid characterisation, there's quite a bit to enjoy in this touring
Twelfth Night.
Viola gets separated from her twin brother and is shipwrecked in Illyria,
disguised for safety as a young man and now named Cesario, is sent by
his/her master Orsino to plead Orsino's suit to Olivia who is still morning
her own dead brother. Helen Russell is a charming Cesario touching
in scenes with the woman who falls for her charm, Joceline Brooke -
Hamilton's Olivia. All play the resulting confusing well as Orsino,
Mark Burman finds himself taken by his new servant who finds herself
pleading the suit of the man she herself has fallen for.
But this is not Shakespeare only comic plot oh no. He wrote a comedy of
riches including Sir Toby Belch, played when I saw it by David Clayton
(a riding accident unseated the original performer, Graham Rollason).
Clayton is witty and lively, less portly or dootled than some -
and boy can he belch. Another is Olivia's other suitor, Sir Andrew Aguecheek
a foppish, foolish Mark Davies who delights the audience with his
idiocy, and with Fabian Andrew McWilliam made up the dissolute
trio into a mini-riot. Joining them in mayhem is Feste, Iain Stuart
Dootson his fine vocal skills are coupled with a lovely comic style,
a bit of Punch, a pinch of Puck and sparkling dustings of Dootson. The
duped Steward Malvolio, puritan pain in the fundament played humourously
manner style by Marcus Cooper. The moment when he thinks he's really
going to rise with Olivia is full of visual comic delights, and the topiaried
bushes of set are very well positioned indeed, and the moment when he
found a smile!!! A dud note was Maria, Rebecca Gadsby, her performance
was off the funny scale and up into the grotesque, as she facially grimaced
her lines and twisted unnecessarily.
Set in the grounds with landscape as a backdrop, the production has its
own stage. A raised formal garden space with a brightly striped circular
tent pitched behind making a fine tiring house for the players to hear
their cues. The period costumes and the actors naturally projected voices
all added to the timeless charm of Shakespeare experienced in the open
air. Though amongst the women some voices sounded strained and ill pitched,
get them to a voice coach please! The production has a lot of well choosen
songs in it -"You Ladies of Spain" and the later "Wild
Rover" with Illyria as the port they will not leave again. Valentine,
Elizabeth Knight, and Feste, Iain Stuart Dootson play their instruments
well, Dootson has a lovely, folksy voice, a delight to hear, especially
when singing unaccompanied. Take a comfy seat, some sweetmeats and good
companions.
© Thelma Good 21 July 2002
Scottish
Dates for other dates see company website
19 July at 7:30pm Trigony House Hotel Dumfries 01848 331211
21 July at 6pm Bowhill House Borders 01750 22204 about hours
drive from Edinburgh
2 August at 7:30pm Hopetoun House South Queensferry 0131 331
2451 very close to Edinburgh
3 Aug at 7pm Paxton House Borders 01289 386291
4 Aug at 7:30pm Finlaystone, Renfrewshire 01475 540530
End of Scottish dates
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